Bávaro Part II: Sun+Sand, Pen+Paper, Friends+Food

While I was studying in Santiago last year, I took a class on political and socioeconomic processes in the Dominican Republic. We discussed that the Dominican economy is primarily dependent upon three sectors: Agriculture, Trade (especially free trade zones), and Tourism. While I've learned about and even witnessed the first two sectors at work (via trips to free trade zones and Constanza: the source of much of the country's produce), this past weekend was my introduction to the latter area.

From Friday through Monday, my friend and I spent our time in Bávaro, a town on the Costa del Coco. It's tourism central; the home of the country's best resorts, clubs, and sanky pankies, among other things. We stayed in one of those all-inclusive resorts and got our first taste of the Dominican Republic, as it is most well known. 

Upon arrival, I expected to have a hard time finding a single non-gringo at the place, but to my surprise there were plenty of Dominicans vacationing at the same resort. I had thought that Dominicans preferred to leave the island for vacation rather than go to these resorts, so this was new to me. Other guests included tourists from from the U.S., U.K., Canada, Germany, and all over the world. 

We had initially planned to meet up with friends in the lobby. After only a few minutes there, we received our first greeting from the friendly staff with complimentary drinks on hand. I already felt welcomed! Our friends found us, standing awkwardly with our bags, and looking disheveled from the fatiguing journey. They escorted us to our room, where we settled in for a bit, and we were on the beach within the hour, taking in the sun, sand, and breeze. Everything we had gone through to arrive at this place suddenly felt worthwhile. 

We spent the next few days enjoying the scenery of Bávaro, some fun-loving company, delicious meals, and much needed quiet moments. I couldn't have asked for a more wonderful place to spend my weekend, and now I better understand why people are always vacationing in Punta Cana and other spots on the Eastern coast. I've seen many beaches in my 21 years, from Sri Lanka to South England, and Mexico to Florida, but the beaches of the Dominican Republic still rank number one in my mind, and this weekend just reaffirmed that for me. 

I am genuinely glad that I had the chance to see this side of the DR, albeit so late in my time here. In truth, it stands in stark contrast to much of what I would consider to be "the real DR"; the commotion of Santo Domingo... the simplicity of the campo (countryside), but all in all I feel I have a better perspective, a more complete idea of the country as a whole now.